Green Party opens voting for leadership after Natalie Bennett stands down

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“I started with a number of intentions: making the Green party a truly national party; growing the membership; growing the strength of our local parties and getting us into national debates,” Bennett said at the time.

Caroline Lucas, the Green’s sole MP, is the frontrunner to succeed Bennett. Lucas was the leader of the party between 2008 and 2012, before she stood down to focus on her parliamentary activities.

Bennett rose to national prominence following the seven-way television debates ahead of the 2015 general election. After the spike in publicity, she took the party to win their highest ever share of the popular vote - at 3.8 per cent - with more than one million votes cast for Green Party candidates.